A man who knifed his lover to death and filmed himself lying next to her naked body could serve just 12 years in jail, it has been decided.

Sick Peter Noble, a sword stuntman and former stagehand at The Hexagon theatre, was jailed for life in June 2003 for the horrific murder of Josephine Cockell.

But at a tariff-setting hearing at London’s Royal Courts of Justice on Thursday he was told he may be eligible for parole after 12 years – meaning he could be free in 2015.

At the tariff hearing, Mrs Justice Rafferty described Noble as usually a “normal, gentle, charming, laid-back and kind man”, and said that his only motivation was that Mrs Cockell, who worked at Reading Museum, was planning to end their relationship.

But Mrs Justice Rafferty, who also presided over Noble’s original trial, said that the defence of amnesia which he gave in mitigation was contrived.

Noble will only be freed if he can convince the parole board that he poses no danger to the public.

His case highlights the issues raised in the Evening Post’s new Knives Cost Lives campaign, which aims to educate young people about the dangers of knives and urges the Government to increase sentences imposed for knife crimes.

And under the auspices of that campaign, it will be brought to the Lord Chancellor’s attention tomorrow when Reading East MP Rob Wilson visits Lord Falconer to discuss it.

Mr Wilson said: “This is clearly a very disturbed individual and to suggest that he could be back on the streets of Reading in 12 years time is a miscarriage of justice.

“I will bring this case to the Lord Chancellor’s attention on Wednesday.”

Noble, 46 at the time of the murder, told the jury he had contacted spirits who told him when twice-widowed Mrs Cockell, 53, would die.

He also lay in bed with Mrs Cockell’s body at his Stanley Grove home for up to two days after the murder. He has since made two suicide attempts.

Mr Wilson added: “In cases like this, life should mean life. I can’t think of any circumstances why anybody as disturbed as this should be let out of jail.”

During the meeting in London, the Lord Chancellor will also meet five families who have fallen victim to some of the most horrific knife crime in recent memory.

They include the mothers of 16-year-old Steven Bayliss and Twood Nadauld, 14, who were stabbed to death in September in Evendons Lane, Wokingham, and the parents of Southampton university student Daniel Pollen, 20, who was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack in Romford.

Also in attendance will be Lucy Davis, whose 25-year-old brother Scott was killed after being stabbed nine times outside The Oracle shopping centre by drug crazed Kevin Alvarado.

Alvarado, 18 at the time, was jailed for life but a subsequent tariff-setting said he may be eligible for parole after 10 years of his sentence.

When told of the Noble verdict, Ms Davis, who has spearheaded the Knives Cost Lives campaign with Mr Wilson, said: “I think it’s absolutely horrendous. I’m losing faith in the justice system because I hear about people who do things like that and the sentences that they actually get are appalling.”